Somvar Vrat Katha: The Monday Fast of Shiva

The story in brief

Somvar means Monday, the day traditionally given to Shiva, and a vrat is a vow or fast. This is the story usually told with the Monday fast. It has many tellings, with different names and small details, so follow your family's version.

A wealthy merchant had no children. Every Monday he fasted and worshipped Shiva and Parvati at a Shiva temple. Moved by his devotion, Parvati asked Shiva to grant his wish. Shiva reminded her that everyone meets the results of their own karma (= past actions), but he agreed to give the merchant a son who would live only twelve years. The merchant overheard this, and he did not change his worship.

The boy grew up bright and gentle. When he was eleven, his parents sent him to Kashi (Varanasi) to study, with his maternal uncle. They gave to charity and held rites along the way.

In a town on the road, a princess was about to be married. Her promised groom was blind in one eye, and his father, to hide it, asked the merchant's son to stand in as groom for the ceremony. The boy was honest. He wrote on the princess's veil that he was only going to Kashi to study and that her true husband was another. She refused to leave with the groom's party, and her father kept her at home.

At Kashi, on his twelfth birthday, the boy fell ill and died. His uncle wept. Parvati again asked Shiva for mercy, and Shiva restored the boy's life. After finishing his studies the boy returned. In the town of his strange wedding, the king recognized him and sent his daughter home with him. The parents, who had vowed to give up their own lives if they ever heard of his death, were overjoyed. That night Shiva appeared to the merchant in a dream and told him that the long life came from his Monday fasts and devotion.

What it teaches

• Steady faith, not bargaining. The merchant hears that the gift is short and goes on worshipping the same way.
• Honesty. The boy tells the truth even when it costs him a royal marriage.
• Compassion. Parvati pleads for the family twice, and Shiva listens.
• Devotion can soften what seems fixed. Some tellers read the story this way.

The traditional texts speak of wishes fulfilled for those who keep the vrat. This site does not promise results. For many families the Monday fast is a quiet weekly habit of prayer and restraint.

How the vrat is kept

Customs differ a great deal. Many people keep it on every Monday, many on the Mondays of Shravan, and some keep sixteen Mondays in a row (Solah Somvar) and end with a closing puja (udyapana).

• Rise early, bathe and wear clean, often white, clothes.
• Visit a Shiva temple or worship at home. Bathe the linga with water and milk, and offer bilva leaves and white flowers. See the Shiv Abhishek samagri page.
• Chant "ॐ नमः शिवाय" (Om Namah Shivaya). Ask a priest or elder to guide pronunciation.
• Read or hear the katha, and end with an aarti in the evening.
• Many keep a day-long fast and then take one simple meal after the evening puja, while others eat fruit and milk.
• On the last Monday of a long vow, many families give food or charity.

People with health conditions, pregnant or nursing women, children and the elderly should follow their doctor's advice and may keep a lighter fast. Follow your family's custom or your priest's guidance.